(St. George, UT) - Dixie State College of Utah’s weekly noontime “Dixie Forum: A Window on the World” series makes its 2012-13 debut with a thought-provoking presentation by DSC Professor of Communication Dr. Dennis Wignall. The Forum will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 4th, at 12 noon, in the Dunford Auditorium of the Browning Resource Center on the DSC campus. Admission is free for all community members, DSC students, and faculty and staff.

Dr. Wignall’s presentation, entitled “Gun Rights & American Society: An Advocate’s Reaction to Aurora,” will focus on select acts of gun-related violence in American society. The discussion will utilize a modified Socratic dialectic method, in which audience members and Wignall, serving as moderator, pose questions, answers, and questions derived from answers, in an overall effort to better understand the various elements of recent violent acts.

“This will not be a search for what is ‘right,’ but will be a social process and dialogic interaction that will hopefully result in increased safety and understanding,” Dr. Wignall said.

Dr. Wignall has been a member of DSC communication department faculty since 2004, and has served as president of Dixie State’s faculty senate. Prior to his arrival at DSC, he was on the faculty at Saginaw Valley State University, the University of Colorado at Denver, Metro State College and Front Range Community College.

The weekly Dixie Forum series will continue its 2012 Fall Semester slate on Tuesday, Sept. 11th, featuring a presentation by United States military veteran Brett Sawyer, who will discuss his presentation entitled "A Young Veteran's Reaction to the War on Terror.”

For further information on DSC’s Dixie Forum series, please contact DSC Forum advisor Assistant Professor Dr. Joel A. Lewis at 435-652-7864